The introduction of the Modern Slavery Act in 2015 has made UK companies sit up and take notice of their supply chain more than they ever have done before. Companies have been quick to assess their supply chain, but also to ensure that they are adhering to the updated legislation with a code of conduct and an ethical procurement policy.

An ethical procurement policy must make it clear to suppliers that compliance with requirements related to the Code of Conduct is mandatory. This requirement applies not only to existing suppliers but also to supplier selection and retention. This policy will be useful to set out what the process will be when breaches are found.

Businesses that outsource work to contractors and sub-contractors are invited to a free seminar on Wednesday 30 November to find out how to de-risk their operations in the light of new health and safety and modern slavery laws.

Industry expert Peter Hall, Technical Director of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM), is the keynote speaker at the seminar. He will advise on leadership in contractor risk management.

The Modern Day Slavery Act implemented by the UK Government in 2015 was welcome news as global leaders fight to out-rule modern slavery. For business here in the UK since the Act was introduced, it has been a learning curve to first understand what is now required to meet legislation, and second to implement a code of conduct and procurement policy that safeguards the future of the business.

Within this learning curve, the nuances of what to look out for in susceptible supply chains have been identified by international groups and charities to help businesses stay compliant. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has identified a number of indicators that constitute forced labour and all of which are covered un the Modern Slavery Act 2015. This includes:

What are your opinions of the impact that the Modern Day Slavery Act has had so far? Have you received enough support from the government to ensure you’re complying to the new legislation? Are you struggling to find clarity from your supply chain when it comes to modern slavery?

Whatever your opinions on the Modern Day Slavery Act, we would like to hear from you. Here at Altius, the supply chain compliance experts, we are compiling what is thought to be the first procurement-specific survey related to the Modern Day Slavery Act.

Contract, Facilities, and Procurement managers will know the gut-wrenching feeling when the phone rings from a subcontractor reporting an incident or delay to the project! Some instances cannot be avoided, but you are in a position to negate as many problems as possible by understanding just why some subcontractors fail.

Speaking on leading construction website, For Construction Pros, expert Gary Goldman shared his experiences of three reasons why subcontractors fail. With 20 years’ experience in the landscaping industry, Gary has come across common subcontractor problems that are synonymous throughout all sectors and industries.

With big projects, it’s necessary for you to look for extra help, but with it comes extra responsibilities. As a contract manager, you need to manage the project which involves planning, coordination, while remaining in control of the various tasks that take place to complete the project, which can be a lot to handle, on top of daily duties.

Subcontractor problems, such as delays and incidents can really hit your projects hard, leading to disgruntled clients and bosses too. Thankfully, these problems are a common occurrence, which means experts from different backgrounds and sectors have their own opinion on what can be done to negate problems before they happen.

Here, we share the opinions of industry experts on five of the most common mistakes companies make when managing subcontractors.

Managing subcontractors brings its own set of challenges to all contract and facilities managers. Whether subcontractors fail to finish their work on time, or they leave you with an incident on site to sort, it means your neck is on the line when something goes wrong.

As subcontractors aren’t full-time, or regular employees of your business, it can sometimes be a difficult task to manage their roles and responsibilities, on top of your daily job. But, it’s important that you monitor them as much as you do your own employees, if not more.

Deciding to outsource work is sometimes necessary for a business, if the job falls outside your realms of expertise for instance. You need to remember that who you’re hiring is representing your business to the client, and that you’re completely responsible for the work carried out, whether you did it, or not.